Ochoa Joins the Office of the Registrar

Myrna Ochoa was hired in January as one of two public service contact specialists who work the front counter for the Office of the Registrar. Ochoa is a California State University, Chico graduate who completed her psychology degree with a minor in child development in May 2014.

Ochoa participated in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program during her high school years at Montclair High School near Ontario, California. In her junior year, she participated in a bus trip to Chico State. She had considered attending a University of California school, but after visiting Chico State, she said she realized the UC schools were “too huge.” Plus, she had fallen in love with the Chico State campus and recognized the value of the connection between the campus and the Chico community.

After graduating from college, Ochoa worked at the Boys and Girls Club of North Valley at the Chico Center as a case manager. She worked with at-risk youth and found it very rewarding. It helped strengthen her desire to return to higher education where she could work with a diverse population of students every day.

After working with summer bridge students over the summer, Ochoa’s appetite for furthering her education was whetted. In order to have more options for helping students, she has decided to pursue a master’s degree in social science and has applied to Chico State’s Graduate Studies program for fall 2016. Her goal is to find a way to assist minorities with their transition to college.

Ochoa is about more than work and classes. She was encouraged by her boyfriend to try rock climbing after they met at the climbing wall on campus in 2012. Ochoa may consider herself a beginner, but she has climbed challenging areas including the “Regular Route” at Grizzly Dome on in the Feather River Canyon on Highway 32, the Burney Limestone, (aka The Shredding) which is 26 miles outside of Redding, and at Joshua Tree National Park.

Even though she loves the outdoors and climbing, Ochoa said she is secretly a “scaredy cat.” Ochoa thinks this fear makes her more cautious, which in rock climbing, is not a bad characteristic to have.

At home, Ochoa enjoys her cat, Olaf, who must have been a dog in his previous life. The cat plays fetch just as a dog would—running after the toy and returning it to her so she can throw it again. Olaf now has a new “little brother.” Ochoa recently adopted another cat she named Van. Olaf is working diligently to teach the new addition to the family how to fetch.

Drop by the front counter of the Office of the Registrar and ask Ochoa about her next rock climbing outing. Maybe she can convince you to give it a try.